Frances Perry
Encyclopedia
Frances Mary Perry was a gardener, administrator, writer and broadcaster.
She was born Frances Everett in Enfield
, Middlesex
, where she lived most of her life. She was educated at Enfield County School and Swanley Horticultural College (now Wye College
, part of the University of London
).
Her mother took her as a child to the Chelsea Flower Show
. Her next-door neighbour, E. A. Bowles
, Vice-Chairman of the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society
(RHS), guided her interest in plants and in 1927 recommended her to Amos Perry, a local plant nurseryman. She worked in Perry's Hardy Plant Farm, soon managing his water-plant department and helping with exhibits at the Chelsea Flower Show. She married Perry's son Gerald, (d.1964) an expert on ferns and water plants. Through her work with Amos Perry she became knowledgeable about hardy perennials and is known particularly for her writings about them.
From 1943 to 1953 she was horticultural adviser to Middlesex County Council and later principal organiser for agricultural and horticultural education in Middlesex. In 1953 she was appointed Principal of Norwood Hall College for adult education, a post she occupied until 1967.
In 1960 she sat on the Royal Commission
on allotments
. In 1968 she became the first woman council member of the RHS. The absence of women on the council had been fiercely debated in the letters column of The Times
and in an editorial article. When Frances Perry was nominated she responded, "If you want me because I am a woman, the answer is no, but if you want me because of anything I have done in horticulture, the answer is yes." She became a vice-president of the Society in 1978.
In the 1960s she became a champion of Capel Manor horticultural college near her home in Enfield and she continued to support it until her death
She contributed a gardening column to The Observer
newspaper for over twenty years. She was a contributor to the BBC
radio programme Home Grown, presented by Roy Hay
and Fred Streeter in the two o'clock slot on Sunday afternoon later to be occupied by Gardener's Question Time, and she was one of the first TV gardening personalities.
On retirement from Norwood Hall she remained active in horticultural research. She visited over seventy countries, often in the company of Roy Hay (1910–1989), a long-standing gardening colleague, whom she married in 1977. One of her last major journeys was made at the age of 84, when she toured botanical gardens in Germany.
After the death of Roy Hay, Frances Perry left Enfield to live with her son in Devon
.
She was born Frances Everett in Enfield
Municipal Borough of Enfield
Enfield was a local government district in Middlesex, England from 1850 to 1965.The parish of Enfield adopted the Public Health Act 1848 in 1850, and formed a local board of health of 12 members to govern the area. The local board's area was reconstituted by the Local Government Act 1894, and...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, where she lived most of her life. She was educated at Enfield County School and Swanley Horticultural College (now Wye College
Wye College
The College of St. Gregory and St. Martin at Wye, more commonly known as Wye College, was an educational institution in Kent, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1447 by John Kempe, the Archbishop of York, as a college for the training of priests. It is located in the small village of Wye, Kent, 60...
, part of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
).
Her mother took her as a child to the Chelsea Flower Show
Chelsea Flower Show
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London...
. Her next-door neighbour, E. A. Bowles
Edward Augustus Bowles
Edward Augustus Bowles, VMH , known professionally as E. A. Bowles, was a British horticulturalist, plantsman and garden writer. He developed an important garden at Myddelton House, his lifelong home at Bulls Cross in Enfield, Middlesex and his name has been preserved in many varieties of...
, Vice-Chairman of the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
(RHS), guided her interest in plants and in 1927 recommended her to Amos Perry, a local plant nurseryman. She worked in Perry's Hardy Plant Farm, soon managing his water-plant department and helping with exhibits at the Chelsea Flower Show. She married Perry's son Gerald, (d.1964) an expert on ferns and water plants. Through her work with Amos Perry she became knowledgeable about hardy perennials and is known particularly for her writings about them.
From 1943 to 1953 she was horticultural adviser to Middlesex County Council and later principal organiser for agricultural and horticultural education in Middlesex. In 1953 she was appointed Principal of Norwood Hall College for adult education, a post she occupied until 1967.
In 1960 she sat on the Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on allotments
Allotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
. In 1968 she became the first woman council member of the RHS. The absence of women on the council had been fiercely debated in the letters column of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and in an editorial article. When Frances Perry was nominated she responded, "If you want me because I am a woman, the answer is no, but if you want me because of anything I have done in horticulture, the answer is yes." She became a vice-president of the Society in 1978.
In the 1960s she became a champion of Capel Manor horticultural college near her home in Enfield and she continued to support it until her death
She contributed a gardening column to The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper for over twenty years. She was a contributor to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio programme Home Grown, presented by Roy Hay
Roy Hay (horticulturist)
Roy Hay MBE was a British horticultural journalist and broadcaster. He was the author of many publications and the instigator of many organisations and events, including the annual Britain in Bloom competition....
and Fred Streeter in the two o'clock slot on Sunday afternoon later to be occupied by Gardener's Question Time, and she was one of the first TV gardening personalities.
On retirement from Norwood Hall she remained active in horticultural research. She visited over seventy countries, often in the company of Roy Hay (1910–1989), a long-standing gardening colleague, whom she married in 1977. One of her last major journeys was made at the age of 84, when she toured botanical gardens in Germany.
After the death of Roy Hay, Frances Perry left Enfield to live with her son in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
Honours and awards
Frances Perry received many honours for her work:- MBE - 1962.
- RHSRoyal Horticultural SocietyThe Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
's Veitch Memorial Medal in gold - awarded in 1964. - Victoria Medal of HonourVictoria Medal of HonourThe Victoria Medal of Honour is awarded to British horticulturists resident in the United Kingdom whom the Royal Horticultural Society Council considers deserving of special honour by the Society...
- received in 1971, the RHS's highest honour. - Sara Frances Chapman Medal - received in 1973 from the Garden Club of America.
- Hall of Fame Award from the International Water Lily Society.